The Middle East is consistently in the news headlines, raising fresh questions about religion, ethnicity, democracy, stability and nationhood.

The civil war in Syria is spreading across Syria’s borders, reigniting ethnic and religious alliances that challenge nation states in the region; and exposing the weakness of state institutions.

Most commentators agree that despite the Middle East uprisings, changes benefiting ordinary Arab citizens have failed to materialise.

In fact many are now referring to an Arab Winter and predicting the collapse of existing nation states—specifically Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, but also possibly countries such as Turkey and Egypt which have been seen as the most stable.

So is a re-mapping of the Middle East a real prospect in the near future? And what sort of organising principle could or would stabilise the region?